The invention relates to a package far sewing machine needles, in particular, or similar items.
Sewing machine needles or comparable small parts that have an elongated or other shape, such as a curvature, are frequently packaged for transport and sale in a manner that allows for convenient removal of the desired parts. This is especially the case for sewing machine needles, which are sold to sewing machine operators in large numbers. The machine operator would typically prefer to remove the needles from the package individually in order to put them to their intended use. Needles remaining in the package must be carefully stored. This means that the package must be simple to open and close, and the needles or other elongated small parts must be easily accessible in the package and able to be removed individually from the package.
A further, common requirement on the part of needle manufacturers that produce various types of needles is for different types of needles to be packaged in a single package. For example, it may be necessary to combine elongated, straight with elongated, curved needles. Both needle types should be accommodated in one type of package, if possible. It is also often desirable to accommodate as many needles as possible in one package.
German Patent DE 196 46 845 C1 discloses a package for sewing machine needles, which is embodied as a flat, rectangular case with a plurality of parallel retaining tabs. The tabs can be opened individually, so only one or a few needles can be removed from the package while the others remain securely held in the package. When all of the retaining tabs are opened at once, the needle ends remain more or less freely accessible in the housing part.
Based on this prior art, it is the object of the invention to provide a package that is especially suitable for sewing machine needles and improves the handling of the needles.
The above object generally is achieved according to the present invention by a package for elongated items such as sewing machine needles or similar items, comprising: a flat tray that limits a housing space for the elongated items, at least on one side; a flat lid part; means connected to the flat tray for holding the lid part at a distance from and substantively parallel to the tray so as to limit the housing space on a side opposite the tray; and with the tray having a movable tray section at one end thereof, the lid part having a movable lid-part section at one end thereof and opposite the moveable tray section of the tray, and a detachable connecting element connecting the tray section and the lid-part section to one another.
The package in accordance with the invention has a movable tray section and a movable lid-part section. Furthermore, the tray section and the lid-part section are connected to one another by a detachable connecting element. When the moveable parts are connected, the housing space surrounded by the package is closed, and the needles or other elongated items in the package are held securely and cannot fall out.
For opening the package, the detachable connecting element is released, so the movable tray section and the movable lid section can be pivoted apart. The tray section and the lid-part section thus expose both sides of the needle shanks or the ends of other types of elongated parts stored in the housing space, making them freely accessible. They can be grasped easily and removed from the package. This is the case for both straight, elongated parts (straight machine needles) and curved, elongated parts (specialty curved sewing machine needles).
The above-described type of sewing machine needle package with a movable tray section and an oppositely-located, movable lid-part section also offers the option of securing the elongated items (sewing machine needles) in the housing space with, for example, a foam strip or other resilient means, to prevent any play of the items. Overcoming the resulting clamping effect allows the elongated items to be removed from the housing space. The elongated items are nevertheless securely held in the housing space, i.e., in the package, even if the package is open. This is advantageous for straight and curved sewing machine needles. In comparison to packages of the same size but other designs, this package can accommodate significantly more sewing machine needles or elongated items. The sewing machine needles or items can be arranged adjacently without spacers, in other words, touching each other, in the housing space.
In comparison to other, known packages, the handling of the package is particularly improved by the fact that, after the package has been opened, the sewing machine needles or elongated items protrude far enough from it to be grasped on two sides and removed from the package. In addition, the package in accordance with the invention protects the needles or items from inadvertently falling out of the housing space, with the use of the corresponding means described above.
In a preferred embodiment, the moveable tray section and the moveable lid-part section are connected to the tray and the lid part, respectively, by a respective hinge element, with the hinge elements defining parallel pivoting axes. This facilitates the opening and re-closing of the package. If the package is held in one hand, the thumb can open the tray section and the lid-part section. The user can then use the other hand to remove the elongated items (sewing needles).
The hinges are preferably embodied as live hinges. Moreover, a live hinge can connect the lid part to the tray. Thus, the entire case body, comprising the tray and the lid part, can be produced in one piece, for example, as an injection-molded part. The live hinges also seal the housing space against the penetration of dirt or moisture in the hinge region.
The package can be trapezoidal or rectangular in a plan view, or be adapted to the shape of the items it is to contain. The rectangular shape is preferred. Side walls resting against oppositely-located edges adjoin the floor section, projecting essentially perpendicular from the floor. The side walls are preferably provided with a fastening element for connecting the lid part to the floor part. This fastening element takes the form of a latching part, which can be embodied by latching grooves on the inside of the side walls of the tray part and a corresponding latching rib on the side edges of the lid part. This type of latching element is advantageous for several reasons. It secures the lid part over virtually its entire length, thereby preventing it from bowing. This is particularly advantageous if, for example, a foam strip or another resilient or clamping means is disposed in the housing space for securing the elongated items. Aside from this, it is of great advantage for the lid part to be latched to the side wall over its entire length. This lends the package considerable stability.
This concept further offers the option of easily forming a neat stack from individual packages. It the side walls protrude past the lid part, the underside of the package can be provided with corresponding, open-edged grooves, which can receive the upper side-wall section of an identical package.
For connecting the individual packages in the stack, they can be provided with further latching elements, for example, in the form of openings in the floor part and corresponding latching pins on the lid part.
The package has a rigid, unopenable section and a movable section that can be opened. The rigid part of the package is formed by the regions of the tray and the lid part that are fixedly latched together. The other part is formed by the movable tray section and lid-part section. In the closed state, the package should be rigid overall. This is effected by an abutment that preferably supports at least the tray section on each side of the package (at the side walls) so as to limit the pivot angle of the tray section. It has been seen that an abutment of this type lends the package considerable stability.
The abutment is preferably embodied or formed to simultaneously act as a clamping device for the lid part. This can be ensured by providing the abutment with corresponding wedge surfaces that cooperate with the side wall adjacent to the abutment, and clamp the lid part at least slightly in the longitudinal direction when it is latched with the tray. The movable tray section is then supported against the abutments connected to the lid part.
If the movable lid-part section has a latching tab that extends beyond the tray section, the package is rigid overall when closed. This is because the receiving-part section cannot be pivoted out beyond an extreme position in which it rests against the abutment. The lid part extending past the tray section with a tab at its free end prevents the tray section from being pivoted in the opposite direction. The tab and the abutment form a clamp, between which he receiving-part section is held without being able to pivot.
The lid-part section is preferably provided with a finger depression, which greatly facilitates one-handed handling, that is, opening and closing the package with one hand.
These and other details and advantageous features of the invention ensue from the drawings and/or the description. The drawing illustrates embodiments of the invention.